Dallas Entertainment

There is more to Dallas than just big business, fine dining and fashionable shopping. Live theatre, music, dance and comedy performances take place nightly at both large and small venues. The city also offers professional rodeos, horse racing and car racing for those seeking a rougher type of entertainment.

Nightlife

Dallas is big on nightlife, especially in the Deep Ellum and Greenville Avenue districts. The busy streets of Deep Ellum, renowned as the city’s musical nerve centre, are lined with live music venues. Greenville Avenue, both Upper and Lower, attracts an eclectic mix for good times at modest pubs and eateries.

The Knox side of Knox-Henderson, a two-mile stretch near downtown, is home to popular bars and restaurants, with the Old Monk pulling in a loyal following for fish ‘n’ chips and imported beer. In Fort Worth, Sundance Square pulls in out-on-the-town revellers to its nightclubs, restaurants, movie and live theatres. Up north in the Stockyards, there’s plenty of action in Western-style saloons.

Theatre and music

The Dallas Theater Center is a real treasure and the only professional working theatre built by the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Local and touring productions, some rather daring by Dallas standards, are staged here. The ornate, nicely restored Majestic Theater, built in 1920, is the last of the vaudeville theatres in Dallas. It stages dance, comedy and plays including the Dallas Summer Musical’s Majestic Series.

Less conventional theatre is put on by the highly praised Kitchen Dog Theater Company. Families may be interested in the shows put on by the Dallas Children’s Theater. The Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center is the stage for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, a very respectable group led by maestro Andrew Litton. The IM Pei-designed auditorium is equipped with exceptional acoustics and an impressive pipe organ. The Dallas Opera performs at Campbell Center.

Dallas’ many entertainment districts offer live music of every possible type. Many clubs host nightly performances with something for everyone, from country and rock and roll to blues, jazz and grunge.

Festivals

The lively atmosphere of the city’s many expositions and showcase events lends Dallas the well-earned reputation of being host to some of the country’s top calendar events.

• Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, from mid-January to early February, is the nation’s oldest stock show, drawing thousands of visitors each year to this family-friendly event, featuring rodeo competitions and cowboy performances
• Savor Dallas in mid-February is an international event featuring wine, food, spirits and the arts. Visitors can experience and sample some of the best wining and dining that Dallas has to offer.
• Dallas Quilt Celebration in mid-March gives visitors the chance to view beautiful handmade quilts from around the world, which are judged for cash prizes at one of the largest quilt shows in the US.
• City Arts Celebration in mid-June features art, music and dance performances at this weekend-long festival which also celebrates the city’s culinary delights and has many activities for children.
• Viva Dallas in mid-August is an Hispanic show held at the Dallas Market Hall, featuring a number of attractions including different forms of entertainment, health services and products designed to appeal to Hispanic consumers.
• State Fair of Texas in late September to mid-October is held at Fair Park. This action-packed fair is great fun for the whole family and features pig racing, live music, a parade, cow milking exhibition and auto show among many other Texas traditions.
• Pioneer Harvest in mid-October, held at Old City Park, celebrates many traditional Texas activities that are carried out in preparation for the long winter ahead including pumpkin-carving, pie-eating competitions and many other crafts and activities.